| 18 December 2009
I admit I believed we could pull a W out of this game... too naive?
It took some LeBron's usual heroics and a couple of (just as) usual dumb coaching down the stretch to set up the final 101-108 Cavs win at the Wachovia center, Sixers' 13th loss in the last 14 games (6-19, .240).
It was a nice game and I must say I enjoyed it. Of course, and for the (what?) 19th time this year, until the 46-47 minute.
Eddie Jordan chosed again the starting lineup I don't like, with Brand benched again, and Sixers fell into an early double digit hole (10-20, 12-24). Elton connected a nice 3/3 as soon as he got in and that, paired with a couple of dunks by Iguodala, helped trimming the deficit to 26-32 at the end.
Cavs were ruling the glasses in the second period, grabbing (too many) offensive rebounds and hit four of their first six from beyond the arc. Again, this is something unheard of, right?Sixers played some inspired basketball offensively, led by Thaddeus Young (14 at the break) and Iguodala (12 on 4/5): the first half closed at 55-60.
I really loved the third quarter and our great comeback, accomplished despite poor shooting (4/16 at a point). Iverson hit the jumper for our first lead (68-67) and had a fantastic assist to Iguodala for an alley oop dunk that got fans on their feet: 74-72.
The game remained a close one, with many lead changes, really exciting, in a nearly playoffs atmosphere. Jordan picked Holiday, Green, Carney, Speights and Brand to start the fourth (80-83), while Shaq and LeBron checked in only with 6.20 left to play and the score at 91-90.
Here came some mistakes that pissed me off, and they were "100% Sixers": stupid turnovers in key possessions, for the lead or a tie (outlet passes to the fourth row, forced assists, etc), rushed shots with 20+ seconds on the clock (an airball by Green, for example). Sixers somehow managed to build a four point lead when Iguodala connected on a corner three (94-90), capping a 8-1 run. Here is when James and Williams (very quiet until then) went to work.
The LBJ-Mo combo was lethal down the stretch, combining quickly for three treys and a long two pointer (Mo Will had a foot on the line on the first of his consecutive jumpers) and all of a sudden it was 96-101 Cleveland (2.41 left). Reaction from our bench? Jordan decided to replace Holiday with Green (...). No bullshit, Green for Holiday, who was playing a heck of a game !!! Iguodala made two free throws but on the following possession James, fittingly, scored over Green's head - in the pic - for the 98-103 to put Sixers to sleep (more after the jump).THREE ANSWERS
1) Yes, Eddie Jordan is an idiot. You wanted another proof? You had vs Cleveland. Stupid starting line up one more time, no def adjustments, even dumber substitutions down the stretch.
2) No, Sixers still can't defend the three. Add to Cleveland's ridiculous 60% (9/15) another couple of long two pointers, with LBJ and Mo Will accidentally stepping on the line, so it could have easly been 11/17. Weeks pass, months pass and we aren't improving a lick in that area. Golden State shot 9/18 the game before, but few noticed, as it ended with a blow out W. Now somebody ** COUGH ** on our bench ** COUGH ** hopefully will...
3) Yes, Holiday has A TON of talent, boy has all the tools to become an All star, really a pleasure to watch him. I love how strong he plays defense, his committment: he puts a lot of pressure on the dribble, moves his feet quickly so that he can always stay in front of his opponent. Very tough to drive past him. Offensively he dished out a career high 9 assists, the best of them to Iverson for the aforementioned 68-67 lead.
That play is useful to understand what kind of player Holiday is: after a long, nice rally, Sixers had the ball for the +1, the crowd was ready to explode: Jrue was open and he could have taken the (good) shot. One would expect that a rookie couldn't resist, in that situation, right? Instead, he saw Iverson in a good position, in rythm, and he took the unselfish, smart, VETERAN decision: the extra pass. Iverson knocked it down and the crowd roared. BTW Allen and Jrue are starting to find well each other, that is also fun to watch: somehow unexpected, I must say, at least so quickly.
THREE QUESTIONS
1) Why the trimmed rotation? Jason Smith AND Kapono were DNP CD (Ivey as well, but nobody cares...). I expect many of them to come in the next weeks. Carney saw limited minutes also, but played some honest defense on LeBron James. And if Lou Williams will come back earlier, as it seems, managing the Sixers' rotation will be a tough, tough job (read below).
2) Did anyone realize that Speights missed the last 14 games? I didn't. He scored on an offensive rebound (and got fouled) NINE SECONDS after checking in and provided the usual energy off the bench. He didn't look rusly at all, great comeback really. Elton Brand is surely happy (LOL).
3) What happened to Iguodala's free throw shooting? 20/21 in the last three games, 44/50 (88%) in December, in seven games. That's amazing, especially if you remember he was at 64% some weeks ago. Nice.
REASONS
Why we lost the game
Usual stupid decisions by Jordan, usual missed assignements in the final minutes, usual lack of perimeter defense, usual, momentum-changing, costly turnovers in key moments (these are on the players). Ouh, and LBJ, of course.
To be optimistic
Having Speights back is important, we need his scoring. Jrue is playing wonderful basketball and is emerging as a key contributor THIS YEAR. Sixers showed they are competitive vs a very good team and played overall a solid game. We came close, once more. (We lost, one more. But I'm digressing).
To be worried
Just as if our rotation were not screwed complicated enough, with Speights and (possibly) Lou back, I see A LOT of troubles coming soon in the locker room.
Sixers' roster looks too crowded now, at all positions, and with such a bad coach it can become a complete mess.
